ETSU lights up the scoreboard in home opener Bucs score most points since the resurgence of football in 2015

Published 12:02 am Tuesday, September 10, 2019

CONTRIBUTED BY ETSU ATHLETICS
JOHNSON CITY – The ETSU Buccaneers put on an offensive display in front of the home faithful on Saturday night at William B. Greene, Jr. Stadium in the 2019 home opener.

The Bucs poured on 48 points, the most points since the resurgence of football in 2015 and the most since scoring 68 against Chattanooga on Nov. 15, 2003.

ETSU tallied 491 total yards of offense, including 248 yards on the ground and 243 in the air. The Buccaneers got the job done on the defensive front as well, yielding just 163 yards (62 rushing).

The Bucs scored on their first four possessions of the game, taking the commanding 25-0 lead before yielding a field goal as time expired in the first half.

ETSU then scored 23 unanswered points for the 48-3 lead, including a safety recorded by Austin Rowan (Knoxville, Tenn.).

Shorter punched in its lone touchdown of the game with 1:30 remaining in the game as John Dietl III caught an eight-yard touchdown pass from Aeneas Dennis.

The Bucs improve to 1-1 on the season including 22-8 in home openers as an affiliated member of the Southern Conference. ETSU also improves to 19-19-1 in first-ever meetings with an opponent.

HOW IT HAPPENED:
First Quarter
*ETSU 3, Shorter 0: The Bucs opened the scoring with a 40-yard field goal from Tyler Keltner (Tallahassee, Fla.), capping off a six-play, 34-yard drive that lasted 3:27.

*ETSU 10, Shorter 0: ETSU’s Jacob Saylors (Jasper, Tenn.) punched in his first touchdown of the season with a 12-yard rush that capped off another 34-yard drive, this time on a five-play possession that lasted 2:22.

*ETSU 17, Shorter 0: For the second time on the season and in as many games, Trey Mitchell (Knoxville, Tenn.) found Nate Adkins (Knoxville, Tenn.) for a touchdown reception, with Saturday’s catch being a 16-yard completion.

Second Quarter
*ETSU 25, Shorter 0: The Bucs scored on their fourth consecutive drive, this one at the start of the second quarter. This time it was Jawan Martin (Decatur, Tenn.) with his first collegiate touchdown, a five-yard reception from Mitchell that concluded an 8-play, 65-yard drive that lasted 4:23.

*ETSU 25, Shorter 3: The Hawks scored their first points of the game on a Nicholas Pope field goal, a 36 yarder that capped a 42-yard drive.

Third Quarter
*ETSU 32, Shorter 3: For the second time in the game, Saylors punched in another touchdown, marking his second touchdown of the season. Saylors had four touchdowns in all of 2018.

The sophomore tailback recorded all 64 yards in the drive, including a career-best 61-yard scramble that set up his two-yard punch.

*ETSU 34, Shorter 3: The Bucs recorded their second safety in as many seasons and third since bringing football back in 2015. It was Rowan with the safety, smothering the running back before he could cross the goal line.

*ETSU 41, Shorter 3: Cameron Lewis (McDonough, Ga.) recorded his first collegiate touchdown in the third quarter of the home opener, punching in a 28-yard touchdown run to all but seal the deal for the Blue & Gold.

Fourth Quarter
*ETSU 48, Shorter 3: The Bucs recorded their final touchdown of the game with 10:30 remaining in the fourth quarter as Lewis threw for his first collegiate touchdown, a 1-yard reception by Jordan Anderson (Knoxville, Tenn.).

The drive was the longest of the game, a 10-play, 82-yard drive that lasted 4:48.

*ETSU 48, Shorter 10: The Hawks recorded the final touchdown punch, an eight-yard pass from Dennis to Dietl III that capped a 15-play, 78-yard drive that lasted 8:53.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
*ETSU outgained Shorter, 491-163, which included 248 rushing yards and 243 passing yards … As a team, the Bucs were 17-of-20 passing with one interception.

*Five different Buccaneer players scored a touchdown in the win, including three different Bucs scoring their first collegiate touchdown – Jawan Martin, Cameron Lewis, and Jordan Anderson.

*The Bucs scored on their first four possessions to start the game … In total, the Blue and Gold accumulated 149 yards on their first 20 plays … ETSU then scored on their last three possessions of the game, which resulted in 186 yards on 16 plays.

*The Buccaneer defense held Shorter’s offense to 25 yards on its first 19 plays (first five series) … At halftime, Shorter had 14 rushes for zero yards and 20 rushes for negative-four yards through the first three quarters … ETSU outgained the Hawks 164 to 15 in the first quarter and 217 to 72 in the first.

*ETSU was 5-of-5 in red-zone chances.

*Jacob Saylors’ 61-yard run in the third quarter was his longest collegiate run and the longest run by a Buccaneer since Jajuan Stinson had a 66-yard run against West Virginia Wesleyan on Oct. 20, 2016.

*Trey Mitchell, who made his first start as a Buccaneer, completed his first 14 passes of the game, which was one shy of tying the school record – set by Austin Herink who completed his first 15 passes in 2017 opener vs. Limestone.

*Nate Adkins hauled in a touchdown reception for the second straight week and finished with a career-high four receptions for 37 yards.

*Nine different players accounted for their 17 receptions, while seven players accounted for the Bucs’ 37 rushing attempts.

*ETSU’s defense posted seven tackles for a loss (for minus-31 yards), while seven different players registered at least four tackles … Colton Lakes and Nasir Player finished with a team-high seven tackles … Lakes’ seven-tackle performance was a career-best.

*The average starting field position for the Buccaneers was their own 41-yard line (49-yard line in the first half), while Shorter’s average starting field position was it’s own 20.

*ETSU was called for 11 penalties resulting in 124 yards.

*With the win over Shorter, the Bucs have now moved to 3-0 in home openers inside Greene Stadium, while also winning four of their first five home openers since the restart of the program in 2015.

*With a capacity crowd of 8,615, ETSU has now posted nine sellouts in 13 home games inside Greene Stadium.

*The 8,615 capacity crowd was the fourth-largest crowd in Greene Stadium history.

NEXT GAME UP
ETSU will open its Southern Conference slate on Saturday, Sept. 14 when the Blue & Gold welcome VMI into Johnson City. Kickoff is slated for 7:30 p.m.